A Dive into Mike Vrabel’s Draft History as a Head Coach
Mike Vrabel is now in his second NFL head coaching role. He will go into his first draft with the Patriots. The NFL Combine is in full swing this week as all 32 NFL teams look for their next star draft prospect. The Patriots hold the 4th overall pick as they will look to land a generational talent. Here’s a look back on Vrabel’s top draft picks during his time as Head Coach for the Tennessee Titans.
2018-Pick 22 Rashaan Evans (Alabama: Linebacker)
Evans was a middle of road linebacker as best. He spent a few seasons with the Titans before bouncing around the league. Only twice did he record over 100 tackles in a season. Many Titians fans lament the pick as Lamar Jackson and Calvin Ridley were still on the board when Evans was drafted. He was not a home run pick and leans more towards the bust category. However, he did have 4 seasons where he was an average NFL linebacker.
2019-Pick 19 Jeffery Simmons (Mississippi State: Defensive Tackle)
Simmons is the most successful Vrabel draft pick. He has been selected twice to the Second-team All-Pro list in 2021 and 2022. Additionally, he is a three-time Pro Bowl selection. In 6 NFL seasons he has totaled 31 and a half sacks. He is also force when it comes to stopping the run game with 180 solo tackles and 5 forced fumbles during his time in the league. He is now known as the protype player for a Mike Vrabel defense.
2020-Pick 29 Isaiah Wilson (Georgia: Offensive Tackle)
Wilson may be one of the worst first round draft picks in NFL history. He played in exactly one regular season game for the Titians. He was on the Covid list early during his rookie season in 2020. He then proceeded to be suspended for violating team rules. After the short week’s suspensions Wilson was quickly placed on the injury reserve list. He played a total of 4 snaps as a Titan. He would go on to be released by the team and bounce around a few practice squads in the following years. Easy to label him as a massive draft bust!
2021- Pick 22 Caleb Farley (Virginia Tech: Defensive Back)
Farley was expected to be the next premium starting corner for the Titans. He seemed to show signs of promise early in his rookie season. In week 6 of his rookie year, he tore his ACL and injury he also suffered as freshman at Virginia Tech. Since then, Farley has been a backup and practice squad player who has been haunted by injury.
2022- Pick 18 Treylon Burks (Arkansas: Wide Receiver)
Burks was drafted with a pick that was part of the infamous AJ Brown trade. The Titans looked to replace Brown with Burks. It has not panned out yet. Burk’s best NFL season was his rookie year where he recorded 33 receptions for 444 yards and 1 touchdown. It’s important to note that injuries have played a part in the limited production. So, Burks has not been replicating AJ Brown’s numbers as the team hoped he would. Now Burks will enter free agency this offseason and likely leave Nashville.
2023- Pick 11 Peter Skoronski (Northwestern: Offensive Line)
Skoronski was listed as tackle on his draft bio but entering his rookie season he was the starting left guard. He has been a solid player for Tennessee. He is not a flashy player but has been a force on the interior line. He has proven himself to be a worthy first round talent.
Vrabel has been spotty with first round picks, only really hitting on line players such as Simmons and Skoronski. All the rest have been complete busts or injury plagued. It doesn’t get much better in the second round. Quickly here are the second-round picks from the Vrabel tenure in Nashville.
2018-Pick 41 Harold Landry (Boston College, Defensive End)
Career Highlights: 50 sacks and 3 forced fumbles Pick Result: Hit
2019-No Pick
2020-Pick 61 Kristian Fulton (LSU, Cornerback)
Career Highlights: Placed on Injury Reserve three times in a young career. Pick Result: Injury Ridden
2021-Pick 53 Dillion Radunz (North Dakota State, Offensive Lineman)
Career Highlights: Backup as a rookie, ACL injury, 15 starts in 2024. Pick Results: Average
2022-Pick 35 Roger McCreary (Auburn, Defensive Back)
Career Highlights: 2 career interceptions, starter Pick Results: Average
2023-Pick 33 Will Levis (Kentucky, Quarterback)
Career Highlights: 21 career starts over 2 seasons, 21 touchdowns, 16 interceptions. Pick Results: Likely Bust.
Overall Vrabel hasn’t been part of a great drafting team in the first two rounds. Vrabel will look to help GM Elliot Wolf grab the next Patriots star this draft. Wolf recently stated that he will have final say on personnel but also mentioned that Vrabel will have input. Stay tuned to the Joe Murray Show weeknights from 6pm to 10pm on The Sports Hub.
For more on the NFL Combine check out Alex Barth’s article
